I want you to look at this recent segment of Bill Cunningham’s on hats.
What I want you to think about is how these women are holding themselves. And I want you to think about how you hold yourself. Do you have that kind of confidence, sense of self, grace, vibrancy?
This isn’t just about money and the best salons and products and clothes, although of course that helps a LOT! This is about presence. It’s about Showing Up in a big way, with as much obvious joy and sense of occasion as these women have in their fabulous chapeaux.
That is what we call WORKING IT, darlings. And you can have the nicest suit or vestments, the most perfect hair and grooming, and if you ain’t WORKING IT, you may wind up being quite invisible.
It’s all from the inside out.
Think about it, and get back to me.
P.S. Just for extra fun, here’s a Times article on the royal wedding hats that has this granddaughter-of-a-milliner’s heart singing!
I have a friend who looks great in hats. She also loves brooches the way I love bangle bracelets. I think a lot of this is personal taste combined with lifestyle.
What do you think about fascinators for church hats? There is one white woman in my church who wears a hat every week. We used to have a black woman who wore a hat, can’t remember if it was weekly or regularly, but she moved away. I am somewhat interested in joining the trend, but I have an above average head circumference and it is difficult for me to find a hat that fits well. I wouldn’t be looking for a haute couture style. The NYT article you linked to linked to a picture of Yoko Ono wearing a white fascinator. It seemed to be somewhat simple (as hats go) and classic and more my style. [For clergy, you mean? No. And as for what lay people wear to church, I am on record as saying that I am just thrilled that people DO come to church. Don’t give a fig what they wear. – PB]
Best hat of all is at 36 seconds in. Lovely gray dress with darker gray sweater, and a red hat you could actually wear on some other occasion. Nice face, too! That’s my fave.